The Red Sea
by NotYourDamsel
Summary: [SI/OC] From the depths of a midsummer's storm, and the waves that crashed unforgivingly against his small frame. Little, hopeless Luke died—and was suddenly awoken in a game his brother was fond of: a game where corruption, monsters and magic run rampant. As if it wasn't a problem enough, he catches sight of his red hair, and his eyes the shade of murky waters.


**Summary: **From the depths of a midsummer's storm, and the waves that crashed unforgivingly against his small frame. Little, hopeless Luke died—and was suddenly awoken in a game his brother was fond of: a game where corruption, monsters and magic run rampant. As if it wasn't a problem enough, he catches sight of his red hair, as bright as candy, and his eyes the same shade of the murky waters that swallowed him whole. He was Reno of the Turks, and despite the lack of eye tattoos underneath his lids, he knew that cocky face anywhere.

**Warnings: **Usual Game Violence, Corruption and Shit, Politics, Bad Evil Laughter, Creepy Hojo, Questionable Job Occupations, The Turks in General, SOLDIER in General, Mind Games, Reincarnated!OC as Reno, Rude's Headaches, Tseng's Headaches, Veld is Amused, Lazard is Confused, Rufus Wants In, and Reno is Apparently Important.

**Disclaimer: **If FFVII was mine, Vincent would have his own game when he was still Veld's partner, The Turks would get more background stories, Reno would show up a _lot _more, we get to see Tseng Smile More, Rufus won't grow up as a Brat, and etc.

* * *

.

There were at the sea when it happened.

The large, crashing blue waves creeping ever so closely on the seashore, coyly wrapping its threads of turquoise around his legs.

He was a little boy, one with short limbs and curly, chestnut-like hair: spiky, yet soft—sweet-smelling, but a beast to tame. One that cannot be curbed no matter how many wax or hairbrushes had to be sacrificed.

Luke didn't mind his naturally monstrous hair, it was a part of what made him _him_. And besides, he liked it that way. And it never hurt anyone.

Pa was probably going to be searching for him, now, since the sun was finally going to sleep underneath its liquid covers. Luke wonders how it feels like. To sleep underneath the calming waves that had been his lullaby and wake-up call.

Living in an island had its perks: natural survival instincts being one of them. There was a jungle that Pa liked to frequent, a spear on his shoulder and a grin on his roguish, scarred face inked with colorful tattoos.

"_Yer Pa is gunna catch a big 'ne soon," _he would say, whenever Luke would catch him in the wee hours of the morning. The seagulls would only start crying, and the seas would be mercifully silent. _"'Nd when 'e does, Pa's gunna bring ya with 'im the next time 'round, and teach ya how to get 'ne yerself."_

Luke is excited of that promise: the one that would finally give him his very own spear and first tattoo.

His family was a weird one, still stuck in their old, traditional ways while the world beyond their little island advanced eons ahead.

It was tradition that, after one's first kill, they would receive the tattoo that represents their spirit animal. And Luke _wants _to have his right **now**.

(He has never been patient. He can be patient while waiting for Ma to finish cooking, could wait Pa to come back home after another round of fishing. He could even watch a crab journey from the sea and back the whole day if he so chooses. But when he wants something, he _wants_ like a starved jaguar and would claw his way towards it.)

Ma's first tattoo was on her biceps, a black image of a crow's wings depicting her keen intelligence and swiftness upon her first hunt. Pa's was a brown bear showed proudly on his back—he had, astonishingly, defeated a tiger with his bare hands once his dagger proved to be useless. Not that it _was _useless, but Pa had always been more of a hands-on guy.

Then there was his brother: the one he never sees anymore ever since he went beyond their seas to attend 'university'. But he had his tattoo as well.

A scaly, green viper wound its body around his left calf. A deadly predator waiting to spring on its prey, just like how he laid behind his wonderfully crafted trap for hours. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, and strike he did.

He comes home sometimes, during 'summer vacation' and would always bring back home weird stuff and 'appliances'. He liked the rice cooker the best, that way Ma wouldn't have to accidentally burn herself while she was distracted. There were other things, too. A 'phone' that has many weird boxes called 'apps' in it, a 'television' that showed people in it (how were they _trapped _in there? Can they not get out?) doing all kinds of things, some pretty jewelry for Ma, a new whetstone and raw materials for Pa, and some games that he gave to Luke.

He liked the one with the box, 'wire' and 'console' on it—because he could play it with his brother the same time!

He can't really understand the story of the game, too many flashbacks and the words were too tiny to make out in its blue 'chat boxes', but his brother was smart and explained to him the points he couldn't. Which was _everything_.

There was this guy, the player, who lost his memories and thought he was someone else until his childhood friend (who kicks _ass_) tells him his real past and effectively causes him to hyperventilate and question his existence.

Luke thinks that, while the pretty girl that punches good is badass, she isn't really all that smart. Even _Luke_ knew not to just say that to anybody. And he isn't even friends with anyone am-ne-si-ac!

(His brother laughed at him when he said that, then ruffled his hair and told him to be easy on 'Tifa' because she just saw her friend whom she hasn't seen for _years _and really wants to hug and kick him seven ways to Sunday.

Luke complies, then. But only for now.)

Then there was this group of people named after lots of snow falling, and then they made a 'Reactor' go _boom _ because it was being mean to Mother Nature (which was _appalling_. Who would ever _do _that to Mother Nature!?), but Luke thinks they're being stupid because things that go _boom _hurts Mother Nature even more! Why can't they just ask the people who put up the 'Reactor' to make it stop?

(His brother looked sad, then. And told him to never change, even when he grows up.

Luke is confused. Why would he change? He's Luke!)

But now Pa's calling his name, telling him it's time to go home before _'yer Ma kills me_!', and Luke goes to his voice, but then there's something shiny floating on the sea and he stops.

Ma's birthday was coming soon, two days to go, in fact. And Ma likes the pretty necklaces and earrings brother brings home. Maybe he can take a quick swim and get it for her?

Nodding to himself at the perfect plan, Luke rolls up his pants and sleeves, remembering one of Pa's swimming lessons that said it's best to have as little weight when swimming. But not too little, or the waves will wash him away far, far away from home.

(Luke doesn't want to be washed away.)

Taking a deep, _deep _breath, Luke squared his shoulders and marched towards the gleaming object far out in the distance.

Then—

.

(The storm clouds were unseen from the deep glow of the setting sun—)

(—redred_redr__**ed **_clouds with pinks and oranges and—)

(—swimming, he isn't. What was happen_ing_—?)

(—yells, his name, who was it? Was it—)

(—coldcold_cold_, the sea is mad and he doesn't know—)

(—what was wrong? Why isn't the—)

(—sparkle seems mocking now, and he needs to—)

(—get back home, must go back—)

(—the waters swallowed him whole, and he was washed away from home)

.

* * *

.

He wakes up different, feeling sore and cold and _wrongwrongwrong_.

It takes him hours to stand up, hours that had his muscles screaming at him in protest from the movement, but he manages to sit up and sees himself on the water and—

Red hair as bright as the candies brother brought home, eyes as blue_green_blue as the seas that—

The seas that washed him away.

(That's how the kind fisherman finds him, bowed to the sand and hiccuping with snot and tears dripping down his flushed face.

No, not his face. It wasn't his anymore.

It was Reno's.)

* * *

.

It takes time, but Lu—Reno soon adapts. Because that was the first rule his Pa taught him: adapt or _die_.

(He misses his Pa, misses his hair ruffles and rough palms and sharp spear—)

So he makes a new him, hides Luke and becomes Reno instead.

Reno who has survived from a merchant's shipwreck, who was the son of a servant unfortunate enough to die from a fallen mast.

Reno who was loud and obnoxious once you get past his walls (which wasn't that hard to achieve, if one gave him enough hugs and cuddles), who managed to shrug off the fact that he was all alone and would probably have to fend for himself in the streets.

Reno who was smart and clever, but preferred to act dumb and annoy the people who were meanies to his 'aunt' and 'uncle', pulling pranks that never traced back to him with a bright, mischievous grin that reflected in his eyes.

(Reno who had killed a man trying to 'see if he was talented enough to please him', who had killed a man by feigning weakness and submissiveness, eyes shrewd and having received a jaded quality after he drives a knife down the pedophile's throat.

Reno who had asked the underneath of his eyes to be tattooed with red cuts, curved around the ends of his eyes, and merely smiled when asked what it was about.)

* * *

.

He knows Reno—he needs to go to Midgar, but it's far away from home (Costa de Sol, and wasn't that ironic?) and he doesn't have the money to pay for a cruise.

So he starts pickpocketing tourists, taking some first and then putting it back as to not rouse their suspicion. It wouldn't do well for Costa de Sol to lose their popularity all because of his needs.

He gets better as it goes on longer—the wallets were light, his fingers were fast (like Ma's needles which never missed—), and his pocket was getting heavier. Over time, he hides his little 'greens', stashes them underneath the mattress of his bed, sews them in his old rags kept underneath the bag he always carried, keeping them in plain sight from where his picture of him catching his first fish was framed.

(His uncle was proud of him, that day. '_A natural,'_ he had said.)

When he's fourteen, he leaves the only other place he's known as home with the clothes on his back, some lockpicks hidden inside his messy rat's tail hair, small knives securely placed on his boots, and rolls of thin string wrapped underneath his sleeves.

Ma had told him to always be armed, after all. And the place he was going to was a den of monsters.

* * *

.

Midgar was everything he hated. But a bit better.

The streets were always loud, the lights were painfully bright at night _or _day, and the smell was horrendously **awful**.

(And he has a Planet-sized headache no matter how many pills of aspirin or sleep he gets, which seems to get louder the closer he is Below the Plates)

He naturally retreats Underneath, where the sound is muffled and the areas are darker. It was the nicer part of Midgar, funnily enough. Everybody knew from the way he walked and looked that he wasn't just some ordinary fourteen year-old boy. And the shop clerks there don't baby him, too because curse his younger-looking face! He can't _wait _until puberty fully kicks in. He does not appreciate his voice cracking every time he so much as speaks.

Then there's also that feeling of… calm, or content that overcomes him whenever he gets near Sector 5, and he knows that Aerith's Church makes people feel really nice and happy, but this is drugs-level of chill.

(He will _never _regret trying Makorin. Even though it was weaker than he expected. And didn't make his eyes glow.)

He has moments when he wants to see her, maybe visit her in Elmyra's Garden (well, her garden), but he's fourteen now and Aerith is still just a kid, so whatever he's feeling from the Church _has _to be nothing.

(It isn't)

But then it's all too much, and the headache-voice-migraine is telling him to _go to the place of Healing, go to the place of Calm_ and he does because, dammit, he wants to sleep peacefully for once!

(He should've known he wasn't normal. He came from another world to a _game_, after all)

* * *

.

The Church pre-Aerith was… _awful_.

The doors were covered in vines that he had to wrestle with without breaking, and when he entered, there were mountains of debris and rubble covering the way.

Well, might as well give the little Ancient some help. Whether she knows it or not.

So Reno rolls up his sleeves and starts on working, borrowing a cart from a guy in Sector 7 (who he's pretty sure the future builder of 7th Heaven) in exchange for some plywood and rocks. He pushes away the dust to a corner, bundles up the vines he fought with and lays them on the side for… something. He thinks it's important. Maybe Aerith will make it grow once she gets here? There were flowers in the front before (soon?).

The end result made the place look… well, less destroyed, but not really all that homey. Aerith will do the finishing touches once she gets here.

And as Reno turns around to leave, a sudden _tug _stops him and tells him to _stay_.

For some unexplainable reason, he follows the urge and stays put on where Aerith would be kneeling: in front of the cracked floor where dirt appears and flowers would soon bloom.

On a whim, Reno places a palm on the brown soil, not really expecting anything to happen, then—

_(The feel of the water swallowing him whole—)_

_(—Child of the Sea, answers thy call—)_

_(—__**Let it grow**__)_

Reno stares, jaw-slacked and heart thundering against his ears.

Because where there was nothing, a tiny seedling sprouted from the Earth, droplets of water hanging from its tiny leaves.

A pleased hum sounds from the back of his mind, and he vaguely registers a multitude of Voices congratulating him, singing his praises, telling him tips and _kin__**blood**__family—_

Reno leaves, trying hard not to run. His whole plans of impressing a Turk to get the story going all wrecked up and blown to sky high.

(Because he was like Aerith, he was a _Cetra_. And the Turks were planning on taking them all captive for Hojo—

Fear clenches his heart, and Reno vows to stay away from the entirety of Shinra. Plot be damned)


End file.
